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Asthma¹ is a long-term illness that makes the airways to your lungs narrow, swollen or blocked. It’s important to do everything you can to keep your asthma under control.

Uncontrolled asthma:

• Makes it hard for you to breathe
• Keeps you from playing sports or doing physical activities
• Can cause you to miss work or school

You can control asthma if you:

• Know your triggers and how to avoid them
• Take your daily medicine as directed by your doctor
• Use your rescue inhaler as directed by your doctor

_{1. Asthma,” National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, September 18, 2014,  https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/asthma.}

Chronic kidney disease¹, or CKD, is permanent kidney damage or a decreased level of kidney function. If left untreated, CKD can lead to complete kidney failure. In most cases, CKD is caused by diabetes and high blood pressure. 33% of American adults are at risk for kidney disease². Take this quiz  from the National Kidney Foundation to find out if you’re part of the 33%.

There are often no symptoms in the first phases of CKD. A urine test can detect early stage kidney disease. As the disease gets worse you may notice:

• More frequent urination, especially at night
• Painful or difficult urination
• Puffiness around the eyes or swelling of hands and feet, especially in children

You’re at higher risk for CKD if you:

• Have diabetes
• Have high blood pressure
• Have a family member with CKD
• Are Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or a Pacific Islander
• Are overweight

Testing for CKD includes testing your:

• Blood pressure
• Urine
• Blood, called a GFR test

Learn more about CKD, including symptoms, why it’s important to get tested and what you can do to keep your kidneys healthy:

• Chronic Kidney Disease FAQ 

_{1. “Kidney Disease,” nkfm.org, December 13, 2023, https://nkfm.org/conditions/kidney-disease/#ckd}

_{2. “Kidney Quiz,” kidney.org, December 13, 2023, https://www.kidney.org/kidney-quiz/?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=feild&utm_campaign=kidney-quiz_michigan_conversion}

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease¹, or COPD, is a lung disease that damages one or both of your lungs. When you have COPD, the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs are partly closed. This makes it hard to breathe.

COPD develops slowly, so it may take years before you see any of these symptoms:

• Shortness of breath, especially with physical activity
• Continuous cough, especially if there’s a lot of mucus or phlegm
• Chest tightness
• Wheezing (a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe)

Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD. If you would like to quit smoking, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669). Talk to your doctor about medicines that can help you quit.

_{1. “COPD,” National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/copd.} 

Diabetes¹ is a disease that affects how your body breaks down sugar. It causes your body to have too much sugar in the blood. It could also be that you do not have enough insulin. Insulin helps your body break down the sugar in the food you eat to give you energy.

If you don’t have control of your diabetes, it can:

• Cause you to go blind, get kidney disease and have foot problems
• Make it easier to get infections or wounds that will not heal
• Put you at a higher risk of getting heart disease or having a stroke
• Cause you to have nerve damage
• Make you feel tired, thirsty and have to go to the bathroom much more than usual

_{1. “Diabetes,” familydoctor.org, September 20, 2020,  https://familydoctor.org/condition/diabetes/.}

Heart failure¹ happens because your heart muscle is weak and there’s too much fluid inside of it. Without proper treatment, heart failure can:

• Cause your legs, feet and ankles to swell
• Cause confusion or impaired thinking
• Cause loss of appetite or nausea
• Cause coughing and wheezing that won’t stop, making it difficult for you to breathe
• Make your heart work harder
• Make your energy level low
• Be very dangerous to your life

_{1. “Warning Signs of Heart Failure,” American Heart Association, May 31, 2017, https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/warning-signs-of-heart-failure.}

Hemophilia¹ is an uncommon disease. It’s genetic. That means people with hemophilia are born with it. When you have hemophilia, your body can’t clot your blood. This can make it hard for you to stop bleeding.

_{1. “About Hemophilia,” Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, June 4, 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/hemophilia/about/index.html.}

Hepatitis C¹ is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus. It’s spread through contact with blood from an infected person. People with hepatitis C often don’t feel sick and many don’t know how they were exposed. When symptoms do appear, they’re often a sign of advanced liver disease. Chronic hepatitis C can result in serious, even life-threatening, health problems such as cirrhosis and liver cancer

Learn more about hepatitis C, including how it’s spread, symptoms and why it’s important to get tested on this Hepatitis C Fact Sheet (PDF). 

_{1. “Viral Hepatitis,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/.}

High blood pressure¹, or hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Your blood pressure changes throughout the day based on what you’re doing. High blood pressure means your blood pressure consistently measures above normal.

There are often no symptoms of high blood pressure. If left untreated, high blood pressure can cause heart attack, heart disease, stroke and brain problems and kidney disease.

You can prevent or manage high blood pressure by:

• Getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week
• Not smoking or quitting smoking
• Eating a healthy diet, limiting sodium and alcohol
• Keeping a healthy weight
• Managing stress

_{1. “About High Blood Pressure,” cdc.gov, June 4, 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/high-blood-pressure/about/.}

Human immunodeficiency virus¹, or HIV, is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Without treatment, HIV can lead to AIDS. There currently is no cure for HIV. Once someone gets HIV, they have it for life. Proper medical care can help control the virus.

HIV is most commonly spread through sex or sharing needles with someone who has HIV. The only way to know your HIV status is to get tested.

You can prevent HIV by:

• Using condoms the right way every time you have sex.
• Never sharing needles, syringes or drug injection equipment.
• Using pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis, PEP.

If you’re living with HIV, resources and support are available. For more information, view our HIV Resources and Support PDF.

_{1. “About HIV,” cdc.gov, June 3, 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/about/index.html}

Sickle cell anemia¹ is a genetic disease. This means people with sickle cell anemia are born with it. When you have sickle cell anemia, some of the blood cells in your body are not a normal shape. Because of the shape, these cells can block blood flow. This can cause pain. It may also cause infections and other complications.

_{1. “Sickle Cell Disease,” MedlinePlus, https://medlineplus.gov/sicklecelldisease.html.}